The Crown Pub was originally the Crown Inn and it is estimated that it was built in the 1700s, providing food and shelter to the weary traveller. Accommodation in those days was very sparse. The construction of the first Crown Inn was of wattle and daub, fixed to an oak beam wall frame. The wattle was made, in most cases, of hazel saplings, which grew locally. The lime and sand mortar mixture would have also come from a local source. Horse hair was used as a binder in the mixture, of which there was no shortage either. This building was destroyed by fire in the late 1890s and was replaced by a new, larger and grander building named The Crown Hotel.

The Crown Hotel was designed to accommodate the fast growing motoring public and included a garage where the chauffers/mechanics could service their vehicles ready for the next day’s driving. Cookham was well known to the touring public coming out of London during the early 1900s and it was a very popular place to be seen on the river or visiting one of the 30 night clubs that existed between Maidenhead Bridge and Cookham at that time. The Crown Hotel was destroyed by fire in 1929 and replaced by a modest public house.